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February 19, 2008 09:14 PM UTC

Lamborn Declines to Debate Rayburn and Crank

  • 15 Comments
  • by: gopstudent

By PAM ZUBECK

2008-02-19 00:10:00

THE GAZETTE

U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn joined the El Paso County Republican Women’s Forum for lunch Monday, but he passed on a debate with Republican challengers Jeff Crank and Bentley Rayburn.

“He thought he was going to be the lone speaker,” said Patrick Davis, a consultant working for the Crank campaign, who attended the forum at the Valley Hi Golf Course.

“He said, ‘There must have been a mix-up. I’m not here to debate these two gentlemen,'” Davis recounted.

“That is a misinterpretation of the facts,” Lamborn’s campaign press secretary Kristen Hainen said in an e-mail.

She said Lamborn showed up “to give a brief update on the issues and events going on in Washington, D.C.”

Hainen added, “The congressman is more than willing to debate the issues once the ballot is set. The campaign has communicated this to other organizations. Therefore, we could not make an exception here. At no point had the congressman agreed to a debate on this occasion. If there was any assumption that he had agreed to a debate it would have been a misunderstanding.”

Crank, a Colorado Springs businessman and former congressional aide, said he was surprised Lamborn wouldn’t want to discuss the issues.

Crank said Lamborn seems to be following the same pattern of two years ago when the three candidates, along with several others, competed for the open seat created by Rep. Joel Hefley’s retirement.

“We went through the last campaign, and I don’t know how many debates we had, 16 or 17, and I don’t think Doug showed up for more than three of them,” he said.

Lamborn spoke for about two minutes, Crank said, adding, “He then ate his salad and left.”

Rayburn, a retired Air Force major general, said the incumbent’s departure could be perceived as a fear of debating the challengers.

The 5th District assembly will be held May 30 in Broomfield. Rayburn has said he will not attend the assembly but will gather the 1,000 signatures needed to petition onto the ballot.

Crank and Lamborn are expected to attend the assembly.

Comments

15 thoughts on “Lamborn Declines to Debate Rayburn and Crank

  1. The amazing thing here is that even the most uninformed among us know that debate, discussion, disagreement and dissent are the daily duties we have designated Doug to do!

    In all seriousness… if he is truly standing up to Mitch McConnell and Nancy Pelosi to push forward his agenda for Colorado… isn’t a 20 minute conversation with people from his district and a couple of opponents who he beat last time around a walk in the park?

    Hmm. I’m confused. Well… sorta.

    1. I saw several debates in the last cycle and there is no doubt that Lamborn got whipped each and every time.  Ask anybody who was at the Chamber of Commerce debate.  I would not debate these guys either if I were as poor of a communicator as Lamborn.  He needs to stick to his free Congressional franking and get his word out that way so that somebody else can control his message.

  2. .

    but what are the chances that the folks who set this up,

    the folks who invited the Congressman,

    what are the chances that they lied to him about the forum and format ?  

    What are the chances that they are backing one of his possible opponents ?

    .

    If he has made it clear that he does not intend to engage in debates until after the ballot is set,

    that is,

    until after the 30 May Assembly and the deadline after that for petitioning on,

    and yet someone lied to him to trap him in that situation,

    what does that say about the El Paso GOP in general ?

    .

  3. CRANKy Republican = Someone who is so blinded by the events of a long past brutal primary campaign, they can no longer rationally speak about what is best for the party or the conservative voters interests when it comes to the major players in said primary.

  4. The head of this club is Mary Ann Tebedo who… IS A LAMBORN SUPPORTER.

    Additionally, after the initial “oops” that happened there at the meeting, the original invitation email was produced that had ALL THREE campaigns listed as recipients.

    So, nice try Lamborn spinners, but no cigar this time.

    What I think happened is that his inept local campaign team overlooked what this was and the Congressman was caught unaware. Blame his local team – no one else.

    1. .

      facts come out too easily.  

      I was creating my own little world of illusion,

      and BAM!

      you inject some of those nasty little FACTS.  

      my bad.  I apologize.

    2. Joanne Colt is the president of THIS club. Maryanne is president of the Republican Forum. You insult the El Paso County Republican Women’s Club by assuming Maryanne Tebedo has anything to do with it.  

      1. Joanne Colt has made no secret of the fact that she was supporting Doug. Don’t know if she’s changed her mind after Doug’s latest effort to avoid looking like a dope.  

          1. You are right about that. The mix-up, if that is what Baron X is trying to imply there was, was not with the club. Unless you call expecting an incumbant who is  running for Congress to be able to hold his own with 2 opponents a mix-up. I guess it was a little far fetched to assume Doug would step up and do the right thing.  

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